Love Isn't a Science
by Smash41KMF
Summary: They met her in a town just outside of Central - back then, she was just a bossy ten-year-old tomboy. Now, ten years later, they find her in the Central Public Library, studying to become a doctor. She's twenty, he's twenty-two. Al and Winry have a plan. The only question is... will it work? ClausXEd
1. Chapter 1

Love isn't a Science

BY: Smash41KMF

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from FMA. However, I do own the plot to this story.

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><p><span>Summary:<span> They met her in a small town, just outside of Central – then, she was only a, bossy, rude ten-year-old tomboy. Ten years later, they find her in Central Public Library. She's twenty, he's twenty-two, and Al is stuck in between. Unbeknownst to Ed, Al and Winry have a plan that gets everyone involved. The only question is….. will it work?

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><p>"I don't get it, why do they always send <em>me<em> to get things? I have a life too…." Grumbled a young man; his dark golden hair tied back in a low pony tail that stretched down the back of his neck and stopped about an inch or so below the top of his shoulders. About twenty-two years of age, this was the infamous Edward Elric, or in other words… the Fullmetal Alchemist all grown-up and handsome. So, why was he still stuck as the errand-boy?

"_Because you're the only one __**doesn't**__ work during their lunch break."_ The words of the country's Führer rang in his head, when he recalled asking that very question. Scowling, knowing that the arrogant alchemist was still right, Ed continued his short trek over to the public library. He had promised Sheska that he'd pick up the library's newest book, because she had to work through her own lunch break, now that she was the head of the Analysts Department.

"It's called a lunch _break_ for a reason…. Oh well." Letting out a sigh, the young man climb the stairs to the public library, casually ignoring the stares of tourists and other locals as they watched him pass with awe, smirking at how such a simple task had them star-struck. While, he often silently relished in the attention and admiration they citizens of Ametris gave him, today he wasn't really in the mood for entertaining it, just go in and get out so he could grab lunch with his brother.

Upon opening the large double doors to the building, Ed felt a slight wave of nostalgia hit him at the sight of the dimly light library full of precise books. Before becoming a State Alchemist, he and Al had visited the public library in Central with their teacher, Izumi Curtis, and since then, he and Al had often times visited this one rather than the one issued for the military.

However, what surprised him most was that it hadn't seemed to have changed, even in the past ten years, he would have expected _something_ to look different, but as he walked through the rows of familiar bookshelves, he realized that _nothing_ had changed. Unsure of how he was supposed to feel standing in the building that had witnessed so many of their desperate searches after ten years, Ed gave a small, sad smile, before focusing on his initial task: find the book Sheska asked him to get for her.

Chuckling at the thought of Sheska's reaction whenever she got a new book, Ed set to work, his feet leading him over to the romantic drama section. Although he wasn't necessarily comfortable in the section, he constantly reminded himself that he was doing this for Sheska, not only the mousey assistant of his long-deceased friend and father-figure, but now a good friend of both the Elric brothers. Sighing, Ed gave up and decided to seek help from the friendly senior librarian who had treated both himself and Al as if they were her own grandchildren.

As he approached the front desk, Ed noticed that she seemed to be much busier than normal, and not once did she look up from stamping the piles of books to be re-shelved. However, standing before the desk, Ed cleared his throat, and she gave him a brief glance, before returning to her work, only to take another look and gasp. Ed grinned as he watched the older woman slowly rise from her seat and pulled him half across the counter into a big hug.

"Dear me! Edward, my how you've grown! And into such a strapping young fellow! How's your brother? How is Alphonse?" she asked, a bright shine taking to her green eyes, causing Ed to chuckle.

"He's doing great, we both are, Loryn, but I need some help." He said, getting straight to the point, as usual.

"Oh, of course! What might it be?" she asked excitedly, earning a small smile from the twenty-two-year-old alchemist.

"Sheska sent me to find a book for her, but I'm not quite sure where it is…" he said, and Loryn grinned with a nod.

"Ahh, you mean this?" she asked, pulling a book, seemingly brand new, out from behind the counter, and he nodded. "Yes, she called ahead and told me that she was sending someone to retrieve it for her, I just didn't expect it to be you, Edward." She chimed, and Ed smiled slightly, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm one of the only people in the office to actually _take_ their lunch breaks, besides, I owe her for everything she's done for Al and I, this is the least I can do to repay her." He said confidently, and Loryn nodded, about to check the book out for him, when someone else approached the desk.

"And what can I do for you, dear?" Loryn chimed, setting the book down briefly as she turned to face the young girl. The girl, glanced at Ed and lowered her head slightly.

"Um… I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the books on Physics. I have found the other books, but I'm having trouble finding a book on my topic." She explained quietly, her soft familiar voice catching Ed's attention.

Curious, the twenty-two–year-old looked up from reading the summary of the book Sheska had sent him for, and instead allowed his gaze to fall upon the young girl standing only a few feet away from him. She looked familiar for some reason, but he couldn't quite pin-point where he knew her from. She obviously didn't live in Central, but she didn't have the slight accents of those from the surrounding areas, so he couldn't say her knew her from any of his missions. The image seemed much older than his time as a State Alchemist, which could possibly place her back as far as ten years prior to now. That was a lot of time, but there was something about her that stuck in his mind, but he couldn't remember what it was.

Sighing to himself, Ed let the thought sink back, while he took the opportunity to look her over, hopefully finding something to connect her to one of his many memories. Her frame was small, it almost seemed too fragile for the large messenger bag slung over her shoulder, but she seemed perfectly content with it there. Her hair was a unique color of deep navy blue and reached down to her elbows, just above the waist; a gentle face, pale, soft pink lips, with captivating misty gray-blue eyes that grew large when she realized that he was watching her. Almost immediately, a faint blushed dusted her cheeks, and he smirked, obviously amused as he decided to listen-in on the conversation.

"Ah, well, as you can see, I'm quite busy," Loryn gestured to the stacks of library books, "but I'm sure Mr. Elric here would _love_ to accompany you, he himself is actually quite familiar with the section if I recall correctly." Loryn gave Ed a sly wink, and he flinched, before turning his attention to the girl standing in front of him and sighed in defeat, ready to surrender, when she opened her mouth and interrupted.

"Oh no, that's quite alright, I'll just keep looking, I don't wish to delay Mr. Elric's schedule, I'm sure it's quite tight, so I'll just keep looking, and come back after work if I cannot find it now." She replied sweetly, before bowing slightly to both Loryn and Ed. "Thank you for your time; and I apologize for taking up your time, Mr. Elric, I'll be on my way." She said gently, turning on her heels and carefully walking further into the library, glancing down ever other row, and passing her destination… twice.

"Oh well, I can only try…. She's such an independent girl, but I believe she may still be a bit lost around here." Loryn sighed, her chin propped in the palm of her hand as she leaned against the counter casually.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked, glancing at Loryn, who had then returned to her work.

"She hasn't been in Central for very long, but I would have expected her to at least open up just a little since, but she's still as quiet as she was a month ago…" Loryn sighed, and Ed raised an eyebrow.

"I guess it is to be expected, do you know why she is here?" Ed asked softly, being mindful of the clock, and Loryn paused to look up from her stamping.

"Well, honestly, I know almost nothing about her, not even her name, but based on the books she's been checking out, I believe that she's studying right here in Central; my best guess is that she's from one of the small towns just outside the city limits. Sweet girl, really, but very withdrawn." Loryn said with a shrug, before continuing her work in silence, while Ed hesitated before speaking.

"Loryn, check this out for Sheska, I'll be right back." He said, setting the book and Sheska's library card down on the counter, before walking off after the young student, who had once again missed the section she was looking for.

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><p>Ed scowled, once again flipping his too-long bangs out of his face and making a mental note of asking either Gracia or Winry(when she came to visit later that week) to cut his hair for him. He didn't trust Al (not with his hair at least); Sheska was far too clumsy, and the he wasn't even going to <em>try<em> to ask any of the other men in the office. And while 1st Lieutenant Hawkeye was most likely the best of them all, she was too busy working as Mustang's assistant and he didn't want to bother her.

Shaking his head with another sigh, Ed silently scolded himself for getting off-topic, before quietly scampering towards the Sciences section, a common (but incorrect) place to look for a book on Physics. Of course, when he found that he was indeed correct, he smirked and casually leaned against one of the research showcases, watching the young woman pout childishly as her search continued to hit dead-end after dead-end.

"Need some help?" it was more like a statement, rather than a question, but either way, it caught her attention and she glanced up at him briefly, before returning her gaze to the bindings of the books, continuing her search as she responded.

"No thank you, it's got to be here somewhere…" she replied lightly, turning her head towards Ed for a split second, just long enough to offer an optimistic smile, before returning to the shelves of books, "So, I'm bound to find it sooner or later." She finished, bending down slightly to search another shelf, hiding her face behind a curtain of long, blue hair.

"Not if you're looking in the wrong place all day." He replied with a bemused smirk, earning himself a small scowl as she gracefully pulled herself to her feet.

"Then, please. Show me the correct way of travel and I shall be on my way." She said smartly, as if to invite him to a war of words, before picking up her bag and patiently standing before him. However, Ed could only grin at the challenge, accepting it fully as he gave a bow almost parallel to the ground, bringing his left hand over the breast pocket of his coat, while pretending to remove his hat mockingly.

"As you wish, ma' lady." He said with a smirk as he watched her reaction. She rolled her eyes, and stepped past him, cleverly taking hold of his ponytail as she went. Ed yelped in surprise as she continued to walk, pulling him out of his mocking bow, before stopping and turning around to face him.

"Cute," she said, "but I don't time to play games with you, Shakespeare; if I'm late getting back to work I'll be fired. And if I get fired, you'll regret it." She hissed, as she gently draped his hair back over his shoulder and waited for him to lead the way. However, when Ed didn't move, she sighed and put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at him, looking stubbornly at the man who was equally so.

Ed smirked, deliberately mimicking her actions, before leaning down challengingly, until there was barely an inch between their noses, his golden eyes glittering brilliantly at this new opponent. However, her words made perfect sense, and he reluctantly pulled back, glancing at his watch, before sighing in defeat. "Fine. You win."

Within a split second, Ed saw a grin grace her lips, but she quickly held back from showing him how pleased she really was, and instead nodded as she waited for Ed to start walking. It was a short walk to the Physics section, and Ed's mind was wandering until his thoughts became pegged on his initial curiosity of the girl's search.

"So… you're interested in Physics, huh?" he started, hoping that she would continue the conversation, but instead it fell into an odd sort of silence until they reached their destination located a few rows down, under the label for 'Arithmetic'. "Here we are, what exactly are you looking for?"

"Something to help me write a paper on Ernest Rutherford." She replied curtly, and Ed raised an eyebrow, his intrigue with the girl gradually growing as he watched her kneel down and start scanning the shelves for the book she was looking for.

"Oh, then you're looking for something on Disintegration Theory, right?" he asked, catching the girl by surprise, but ignoring the slight scowl directed towards him as he looked up to some of the higher shelves. His gaze scanned the shelves, before stopping on one that caught his eye. "Here's one."

Surprised, the girl carefully stood up and looked up to where Ed had pointed and frowned. "It's too high for me to reach." She stated flatly, turning back to send Ed a pointed look for noting her height, when she found that he had moved to stand beside her, looking up at the book.

"Then allow me to offer my services." He replied with a wink, earning a playful glare, before he reached up towards the book. At first, she doubted that he'd be able to reach it, but she was soon distracted by the light feeling of his hand on the small of her back, using it to steady himself as he stood on his toes just long enough to pluck the book from the shelf. "Gotcha!" he gave a triumphant smile as he slowly lowered himself back down to stand flat on his feet again. He then gave the book in hand a thoughtful look, before turning back to the girl and smirking. The expression on her face only made his grin widen, as he tucked his left arm behind his back and bowed, the book sitting in the palm of his hand as he held it out to her and smirked.

"'_A Million of Facts, of Correct Data, and Elementary Concepts in the Entire Circle of Sciences, and on All Subjects of Speculation and Practice.'_ A Sir Richard Phillips works, just for you." He said grandiosely, letting out a small laugh as she took the book and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the book's title.

"More like another book whose title is too long to even _try_ to remember, if you ask me." She mumbled, shaking her hand as she set it down and took a small notepad out of her bag. Ed blinked, obviously curious as he watched her write down the library's name, and the author, before putting it away and picking the book back up. Turning around to face Ed, she giggled softly at the still slightly curious expression on his face. "So I don't forget where I got this book." She said with a small laugh, as she answered the alchemist's silently question, before they began walking back towards the front desk.

"So… if you don't mind me asking…. What is it like?" she asked brightly, her gray-blue eyes shining in the afternoon sunlight that poured in through the library's large windows. Ed gave her a puzzled look, and she sighed, rolling her eyes playfully. "Being a _State_ Alchemist and all…?" Ed paused, suddenly feeling slightly weary of the girl walking calmly beside him. Patiently awaiting an answer, only to realize that she wasn't going to receive one, and instead she gave him a slightly concerned look. "Um… did I say something wrong, Mr. Elric?" she asked, her eyes growing slightly with mild concern, especially when he came to a stop. "Sir…?"

"What gave it away?" he asked sharply, not looking at her, only at the floor in front of him.

"Excuse me?" she said softly, looking up at him uneasily, her fear slowly becoming evident in her eyes as Ed turned to look at her.

"How did you know that I'm a State Alchemist.? I'm in civilian clothing, you're obviously not from Central, and neither are you military personnel. So, _how_ did you know?" he asked again, and the girl looked away slightly. "Tell. Me." He growled, taking a slight step towards her, and her grip on her bag tightened as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before answering him.

"You know Physics history off the top of your head, you are familiar with the Physics section of the library, and you forgot to leave your military-issued stopwatch at home." She replied sharply, her gray-blue eyes seeming to freeze coldly as she stared straight into his intimidating gaze.

"Are you sure?" he asked, not letting up, and she glared at him, feeling insulted.

"You have it hooked to the second belt loop on your left side, the watch is in your pocket. I saw the chain when you took the book off the shelf for me. Are you done questioning me? I'm not a spy, okay, so you can relax." She said confidently, stepping past him and over to the check-out, leaving Ed where he stood, feeling slightly guilty for accusing her of such a thing.

"Hey, wait!" he called, watching as she took her books and slid them back into her bag, before thanking the older woman and heading for the door, "I-" He wasn't even able to finish because she was already out of earshot, and Ed made his way over to Loryn in defeat, mumbling the rest of the sentence to himself. "I'm sorry…"

"I'm not sure how you do it, but have you ever made a good _first_ impression?" Loryn asked the twenty-two-year-old as he took Sheska's book and library card and let out a sigh.

"Nope, because I'm much better at _second_ impressions." He said with a slight laugh as the older woman rolled her eyes and pushed him towards the door.

"Then go and hurry, before she gets too far." She ordered, pushing the young man out of the library and closing the door behind him.

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><p>Ed sighed, running a tired hand through his hair for the umpteenth time that day as he glanced around the main street that passed in front of the public library once again, only to come up with the same result; nothing. Much to his displeasure, he couldn't spot the familiar figure and was about to start his journey back to the military headquarters, when he saw a blur of dark blue out of the corner of his eyes. Turning towards the sight, he saw her, looking slightly lost once again – a sight that was starting to amuse him.<p>

Chuckling to himself, Ed gripped the book in his right hand before starting off at a slight jog to catch up to the younger girl, who was a good distance ahead of him. Dodging a person here and there, Ed carefully weaved his way through the market place, until he finally caught up to her in front of a small flower shop. Slipping the book into his other hand, Ed reached out and gently took hold of her wrist, when she moved to go inside, holding her back slightly, and causing her to gasp in surprise, before glaring.

"What? Is going inside a flower shop a felony too?" She snapped, trying to pull her hand away, but Ed refused to let go, and instead gave her a strange look.

"Of course not, unless you leave without allowing me to apologize…. _again_." He replied with a slight smirk, and she paused, looking at the grip he had on her wrist, then at her feet, before taking a deep breath and letting out a small sigh. She then lifted her head to meet his gaze and forced herself to relax. She hadn't realized that he had been meaning to apologize, but why would he even bother to follow her all the way out here in order to say it?

"Fine…" she mumbled, as she stopped struggling against him, and he loosened his grip and sighed.

"I really am sorry. I shouldn't have accused you for being a spy." He said softly, his golden eyes holding her gaze gently, and she gave him a small smile. She then looked down for a moment, before raising her head again and speaking up with a small smile.

"It's alright. I've never really been in the city before, so I'm bound to make mistakes, right?" she offered, trying to lessen the tension in the air between them, and he nodded slightly as a soft silence fell between them, only to be broken by Ed's sudden realization of the time. The girl giggled softly as the color drained from his face slightly. "You're late, aren't you?" she asked, trying not to smile in amusement when he gave a sheepish nod. Silence befell them once again, and she gently slipped her wristed from his grip, preparing to bid him goodbye, when something popped into Ed's head and he caught her wrist before she had the chance to open the door to the flower shop. "Mr. Elric, please, I don't wish to be late." She protested, and Ed gave a small smile.

"I'm sorry, but would you join me for coffee later?" he asked, and she paused, surprised by the sudden invitation. However, she soon offered a small smile and nodded.

"I get off at six, if that's alright with you?" she said softly, and Ed smiled.

"I'll pick you up."

"Goodbye, Mr. Elric." She said, opening the shop door and slipping inside.

"Goodbye…"

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><p>Ten minutes later….<p>

Sitting in the headquarters beside a stack of papers, it suddenly dawned on him. "Dammit… I didn't even ask her name…"

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><p><strong>And so! Does anyone know who it is? Seriously, if you're able to get this, I'll be VERY happy! I finally got this idea the other day when I was watching the anime for the heck of it! Hope you all liked it as much as I did when I wrote it!<strong>

**Reviews are much appreicated!**

**~Smash41KMF**


	2. Chapter 2

Love isn't a Science

BY: Smash41KMF

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from FMA. However, I do own the plot to this story.

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><p><span>Summary:<span> They met her in a small town, just outside of Central – then, she was only a, bossy, rude ten-year-old tomboy. Ten years later, they find her in Central Public Library. She's twenty, he's twenty-two, and Al is stuck in between. Unbeknownst to Ed, Al and Winry have a plan that gets everyone involved. The only question is….. will it work?

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><p><em>'She looked so...familiar...'<em>

"Ed?"

_'I know that I've seen her before...'_

"Lieutenant Colonel Elric, sir?" - (yes, I'm making Ed a Lieutenant Colonel - it's a pretty good position, I might even give him a promotion later on... maybe...)

_'But I just can't remember where...'_

"Hey, Kiddo? You okay?"

_'...It must have been before I became a State Alchemist...'_

"Edward? Are you even listening?"

_'...but then the question is when...'_

"Brother? Why are you staring at me?"

_'...Long blue hair... gray-blue eyes...?'_

"Damn, I think might have lost him for good this time..."

_'...I just don't get it...'_

"WHO THE HELL IS SHE?" Ed shouted, propelling himself to his feet as his hands crashed down on top of his desk, startling the rest of the soldiers sitting in the office, and causing a hard laugh to burst from the young Führer as he walked into the room.

"I see... the runt's finally lost it. It's a pity; we've just lost such a good soldier, oh bother." Mustang taunted with a dramatic sigh, and Ed scowled, while the soldiers in the office let slip a few small chuckles, along with one from the younger blonde sitting beside him.

"Al! That's not fair!" Ed shouted, glaring at the twenty-one-year-old, before turning on the smirking Führer and huffing in defeat. "Anyways, to what do I owe such _pleasure_ of being summoned to your torturous company, _your highness_?" the younger alchemist asked with a tired sigh, causing the young Führer to raise an inquisitive eyebrow to the alchemist.

"Why so grumpy, Edward? You're not hanging on the result of that routine medical exam still, are you?" Mustang asked, finding it peculiar that something that had occurred over a month ago would still annoy the twenty-two-year-old.

"It's nothing, I just have some personal matters that I have to take care of." he replied, flopping down onto a familiar couch in a corner of the room, propping his feet up on top of the arm rest and calmly folding his hands behind his head. Completely content, Ed simply stared at the cream colored ceiling as he continued. "But anyways, why are we here? I thought things were as slow as ever."

"They still are, Ed, but there is something I would like you - Roy nodded towards the younger brother as well - and your brother to look into for me. If it's not too much trouble for you." he replied, closing the file that sat in front of him, before meeting the curious gazes from the two brothers.

"Ha!" Ed laughed, "You make it sound like you're giving us a choice, that'll be the day." He smirked, while his younger brother sighed, continuing in a more mature manner.

"What Ed _meant_ to say is what _is_ our mission?" Al asked, glaring at his older brother briefly, before turning back to watch their superior walk around his desk and approach them, handing a case file to each of the brothers.

There was a moment of silence as each other brothers opened the files and grazed through the first few paragraphs. Ed raised his head and sent Roy a strange look that could only be interpreted as, _'Why would you send two alchemists to do this?' _His response was a shrug and small smirk behind folded hands.

"With all due respect, Führer, why are _we_ being sent to do this? Isn't this a job better made for the Human Resources Department? Why us?" Al asked, glancing down at the file again, his expression obviously confused. Opening his mouth to continue, Al was interrupted by his older brother, who seemed to be even more puzzled by the assignment than he was.

"Is it that slow that the military is now sending its alchemists on recruiting campaigns? I agree with Al, isn't this Human Resources' job? We're a different part of the military, why it be smarter to send soldiers like Havoc, or even Fuery to do this? We're just the military's dogs, wagging our tails and drooling for the sake of doing good with science." Ed stated, and the people in the office deadpanned, even Al.

After a while, anyone would know the skilled alchemist for being confident, height-sensitive, and incredibly blunt with his statements, but this was on a completely different level than the normal Ed, and it surprised them. Blinking, Alphonse gave his brother a strange look, as did several others in the office, but Ed only gave a nonchalant shrug.

"What?" He asked, and within seconds, Al was nose-to-nose with his brother, pointing an accusing finger at the older Elric, while the other soldier simply looked on in confusion.

"You lost an argument! Didn't you!" he exclaimed, catching the attention of the other soldiers completely as they each approached the two brothers, intrigued by the idea of such a thing happening. One of many other things the older of the Elric brothers was known for was his tendency to engage in verbal war. While he almost always emerged victorious, there was only one person to ever be able to shoot down the young man's wits, and that... -they all turned to look at the Führer, who glanced up from signing paperwork, only to find his co-workers staring at him- was Führer King Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist.

Ed cringed at the accusation, trying his best to avoid the topic as he glared at the soft cushion next to him, an action that only made his younger brother gasp, before spring into the air and laughing. Ed glared at his brother, sitting up and glaring at his feet as the other soldiers waited patiently to hear the story, even Mustang had an ear open to the interesting tale.

"No, I didn't! What makes you think that?" He asked, and Al gave him a disbelieving look.

"You're grumpy, Brother. And whenever you're grumpy, either you've just finished talking to Winry, lost an argument, or Mustang said something that-" before Al could finish, Ed launched himself off the couch, covering his brother's mouth as he pinned the younger boy to the ground.

"Shut up, Al! He doesn't need to know that!" Ed growled, holding down his struggling brother, while Roy looked on with amusement with this new piece of information.

"He doesn't need to know _what_ exactly, Edward?" he asked, and Ed paled, leaping off of his brother and awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

"I-I don't know what you mean? Al's just being silly, ignore him." Ed laughed awkwardly, but the young Führer didn't seem to buy it... at all.

"I don't know. Al, what exactly is your brother keeping from me, hmm? You're a good kid, surely you could tell me?" Roy gave Al an expecting look, and Al swallowed, glancing over at his older brother, who only grinned down at him darkly.

"You breathe a word about this Al, and I'll tell him about your thing for the Lieutenant." he growled, and Al froze, his eyes wide with utter horror.

"NO! You wouldn't! That's not even fair! Ed!" Al shouted, squirming uncomfortably, before lifting his head to meet the threatening stare of the Flame Alchemist. "U-Uh... well... umm.." Al looked to his brother, and then back to Roy, unsure of which one he was more terrified of at the moment. "Well-" before he could finish, Ed's gaze caught sight of the clock hanging behind Mustang, and his heart skipped a beat. It was barely a quarter to six, so as much as he hated leaving this stand-off, he had made an obligation, and now their escaped called for a distraction.

"Oh, well would you look at the time! Al, we have somewhere to be, and you know what'll happen if we're late!" Ed exclaimed, breaking the tension and turning all attention to him, even the slightly confused look of his younger, whom he prayed would only play along, but alas, without his suit of armor, the man's expressions were to readable, and Mustang began to laugh at the failed attempt at an escape.

"Nice try there, Fullmetal, but you'll have to try harder than that next time." he laughed, and Ed raised an eyebrow, surprised that the Führer was actually going to let them leave after all. Apparently, the other soldiers were surprised as well, and everyone turned their attention towards Roy.

"Wait, you're actually going to let them leave early?" Havoc exclaimed in disbelief, and Roy gave a shrug.

"They're always here, and so long as they keep showing up and pulling through for us in the end, I think a little leeway should be allowed every-so-often." he replied simply, before his tone became serious and he turned his gaze to meet Ed's. "But aside from it all, this isn't just some recruiting mission, Ed." Ed raised an eyebrow, and Roy opened a drawer in his desk, pulling what looked like ID cards out and setting them in front of either brother. "You're both going under cover at Central Academy, these will act as your identifications." he said, as both brothers stepped forward and picked up their own cards, before glancing at the others.

"Wait as second! I'm a... I'm a teacher?" Al exclaimed, his gaze flying up from his ID card, while Ed continued to stare at his own card. "But why? Ed is obviously better qualified for it than I am! Besides, some of those people might even be _older_ than me!" Al exclaimed, glancing down at his card, before looking at Ed curiously, surprised that he hadn't burst out in protest let, just stared at the card.

Following the younger brother's gaze, Roy carefully shifted his gaze to Ed, who was now holding his gaze with flash of understanding in his eyes, but also slight betrayal. Roy sighed, turning back to look at Al, ready to respond, when Ed finally spoke up.

"You gave me Al's name. Why?" was all he asked, his sharp golden eyes holding the older officer's onyx gaze. In response, Roy simply sighed, scratching his head before explaining.

"Alphonse, you were given the role as a minor arts teacher, your position is as the Self-Defense Instructor, considering you seem to be the best the military has in that field by far." Al blushed with pride, nodding happily, before looking over at his brother wearily. "While you, Ed, were originally supposed to be the Chemistry Professor, but we have decided that the mole we are searching for could possibly be among the students, and it'd be much easier for you to fit in than your brother, no offense, Al."

"Of course not, you're right actually, but still... why does Ed have my name? And how comes I don't have his?" Al asked, glancing at Ed briefly, knowing that he was most likely trying to imagine being his shoes for all those years, he was hiding the pain well, but only Al was able to see the small flashes of sadness and regret in his brother's dark, golden eyes.

"Alphonse, your brother is no stranger, the people attending this academy either have parents or relative high in military command, they may not know your brother's face, but they do know his name. He was given your name because you are much less known, but enough to draw attention. In addition, if we were to give you his name, wouldn't it be odd that a State Alchemist _wasn't_ teaching Chemistry?" Roy asked, and Al nodded, along with Ed, who only gave an absent movement.

"So, we're going in alone?" Al asked, this time catching Ed's attention. However, Roy shook his head.

"No, of course not. While I would feel much more comfortable with allowing these lazy slackers," Roy said, gesturing to the Havoc and Breda. "to accompany as your back-up, I'm afraid that even _I_ am restricted from offering high ranking officers to accompany you. So, instead, Major Denny Brosh and Lieutenant Maria Ross will be your contacts in the Academy, Fuery will also join you as the Technology Instructor once he gets back from Eastern Command. Are there any questions?" Roy looked between the brothers, and the only one who seemed the slightest uneasy was Al, but that was probably being prompted by the older Elric's odd behavior. "Good, you're dismissed."

And with that, the two brothers turned to head for the door, when Roy called out to Ed, a knowing smirk pulling at his lips. Ed turned, sending the country's youngest Führer a half-bored, half-curious look.

"Have fun on your little date, you might just get to see your little girlfriend at school." at that, Ed faltered, a look of pure astonishment coating the twenty-two-year-old's normally composed countenance. Roy's smirk widened and he gave the younger man a sly wink. Ed's jaw dropped open, and Roy continued, waving the boys off with a victorious smirk. "You start Monday, and please, Ed?" Roy gave Ed a harsh look. "Do restrain from causing _too_ much trouble, Lieutenant Hawkeye and I will not appreciate being call down to the Academy for a parent-teacher conference."

Speechless, Ed sent Mustang a sharp glare, just about to retort, when he was reminded of the time, and Al dragged him out of the room.

"Damn you, Mustang..." Ed grumbled as he and his walked out of the military's main building and into the courtyard. "He takes all the fun out of going to school..."

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><p>Meanwhile...<p>

"Um... Sir?" Roy looked up from his paperwork to look at his fiancé, who was fiddling with the edges of the file in her arms, a discreet habit of hers when she got uneasy.

"What is it, Riza?" he asked softly, slightly concerned about what could possibly have her so uneasy.

"Did you tell them that they can't use Alchemy?" she asked, watching as Roy's eyes slowly grew larger, until he let his fall onto the desk. Riza's eyes grew and she gasped. "Roy!"

"Damn it."

"You're going to get them killed!"

"I don't know about that! Al should know better."

"Roy!"

"Hey! I'm just saying that so long as Al is around, Ed will be okay!"

"No, he won't!"

"What makes you say that?"

"He's Ed, Roy."

"Damn it."

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><p><strong>Haha! Ironic, I know. The fact that I'm ending this chapter with the same words as the first chapter! Haha. Well, ANYWAYS!<strong>

**Please review! They are much appreciated!**

**~Smash41KMF**


	3. Chapter 3

Love isn't a Science

BY: Smash41KMF

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from FMA. However, I do own the plot to this story.

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><p><span>Summary:<span> They met her in a small town, just outside of Central – then, she was only a, bossy, rude ten-year-old tomboy. Ten years later, they find her in Central Public Library. She's twenty, he's twenty-two, and Al is stuck in between. Unbeknownst to Ed, Al and Winry have a plan that gets everyone involved. The only question is….. will it work?

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><p>Upon reaching the apartment he shared with his younger brother, Ed glanced at the clock, thankful that they had agreed to live so close to the main building. Unlocking the front door, Ed darted inside, heading straight for his room, tugging off his coat as he went. He had about ten minutes, the walk itself took about five, so that didn't leave him time to anything aside from throwing on a change of clothes. In his rush, Ed didn't even bother to shut his bedroom door as he changed, knowing his brother really didn't care; however, the twenty-one-year-old <em>was<em> watching his older brother strangely, but for a different reason.

"Brother? What are you doing?" he asked in all his childish innocence - something that hadn't seemed to disappear, even as an adult.

"Changing. What does it look like, Al?" Ed said with a small laugh as he tightened his belt and spared the clock a quick glance, before grabbing his coat and starting for the door. "Hey, I'll be back in a couple of hours, if I'm not back by dinner time, you can eat without me, okay?" Ed called, just about to walk out, when Al grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Al, I have to g-"

"Where are you going?" Al asked, looking almost desperately at his older brother, who relaxed and gave his brother a small smile.

"Like Mustang said, Al." he chuckled, slipping his arm free and reaching up to pat his brother's head with a gentle smile. "I've got a date." And with that, Ed walked off, heading for his destination. The flower shop.

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><p>Ed smirked, he had arrived neigh a second before six o'clock, and was just in time to lean casually against one of the posts located outside the flower shop. His smirk grew when he saw the same girl from the library open the door, bidding one of her co-workers inside goodbye, before continuing, accidentally walking straight into him. Obviously startled, the girl let out a soft gasp and quickly put a good distance between them, before relaxing at his familiar face.<p>

"Mr. Elric, I didn't expect you to be so... punctual upon arriving here." she said slowly, tilting her head slightly at him, with curiosity clouding her beautiful eyes as she looked up at him. Ed returned the look with a raised eyebrow, before smirking and causing a light pink to coat her cheeks much to his amusement.

"So, are you hungry?" he finally asked, breaking the silence and ending their staring contest. The girl nodded slightly, and without any further hesitation, Ed gently took hold of her wrist and led her down the street with a slight grin.

"Hey! I'm not as tall as you, wait up!" she exclaimed with a small laugh as she stumbled behind him, finally catching up to him when stopped and waited for her to get her footing. However, once she was balanced, Ed didn't move, only continued to look down at her and she gave him a curious look. "Um, are you alright... Mr. Elr-" she began when Ed interrupted her, turning his head to look at her with a soft smile.

"Stop that." he said in a soft whine, while she giggled softly.

"Stop what, _Mr. Elric_?" she asked, grinning when Ed gave her a childish pout.

"You know perfectly well." he challenged, but she simply gave him an innocent smile, before taking a step closer to him, leaving barely a few inches between them.

"I don't what you're talking about, Mr. Elric." they had started walking again, but Ed soon stopped her and gave her arm small tug so she was facing him.

"You look so familiar to me, but I can't remember where I met you." he mumbled, looking down at her with piercing golden eyes, before letting out a sigh. The image was still to blurry for him to make out, but this girl was definitely connected to him from a _very_ long time ago. Pushing his thoughts back, Ed saw a slight look of hesitance cross her features, and her hand began to slip from his grip, until he caught her finger and held on, much to her surprise.

"I remember you though..." she mumbled, refusing to look up at him, and instead pulled her hand free from his and clasped her own over it, before stepping past him and into the small cafe they had stopped in front of. "I'm sorry." she mumbled, before slipping inside.

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><p>Letting out a sigh, Ed hung his head briefly, an aggravated hand running through his bangs as he dug deeper into his memory than he thought possible. His mind few back, ripping through the thin string of memories in his sorrowful life, all the way back to the letters his father had written... There was a name, a name of an alchemist... the one that had tried to put a young village girl's soul inside a mannequin of his beloved, a woman who was believed to be dead, but was still very much alive and by his side.<p>

The pieces of the puzzle were slowly fitting together, one-by-one they were forming a picture of her, telling him everything...but her name. There was another image though, of a young girl, looking much like the one with him today, but why didn't he remember anything about her? His only memories of a girl from that little village that sat just outside of Central was of a girl dressed as a paperboy, and then this extra image of what seemed to be the younger version of the girl he had seen at the library...

It was all so confusing, yet at the same time, it all made so much sense, he couldn't understand why he didn't remember this girl... _'Why?'_

"Ummm... is everything alright?" Ed jumped slightly, surprised to see the girl standing beside him, a cup of coffee in one hand, while the other held a cup of Jasmine tea. Ed looked at her again, his golden eyes trying to take in every little detail, while she continued to hold out the cup of coffee. "Hey, are you okay? Ed-" she froze, and Ed blinked. She knew his name, why did she know his name? But the bigger question was, _'Why does she look so scared?'_

"A-Ah, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, setting his cup of coffee down, before starting to take off, when Ed shot forward and placed himself in front of her. Startled, she put her foot down and moved to step back, when her foot slipped, and she began to fall. With a gasp, she braced herself to hit the unforgiving dirt, but the impact near came, and she blinked, surprised to see the twenty-two-year-old hunched over above her, his arms stretched out around her, holding her away from the ground.

"Heh, no worr-" before he could finish his sentence, Ed growled as he felt a burning sensation seep through the material of his shirt on his shoulder. "-ies.. Heheh, don't worry, I've felt worse before..." he said, trying his best not to grit his teeth as he straightened them both up, before releasing her and instead grasping his left shoulder. Although he seemed to be relatively fine, she didn't believe him for a second, and immediately, she grabbed his coat and draped it over his shoulders, before taking hold of his uninjured arm and leading him into the cafe.

"May we use your bathroom?" she asked the cashier, her tone serious and lacking of any of the shyness that was present a few minutes earlier. The boy gave her a queer look, glancing from Ed to her and back.

"We have separate areas, you know." he said harshly, shooting Ed a sharp glare, but he simply gave the younger boy a dull expression as he listened to the girl continue with whatever plan she had. Much to his surprise, she was a very good actress, because her next sentence had the boy letting out a sigh and complying reluctantly.

"Well, you see, My boyfriend here is blind, and he's just visiting Central from East City. And I'm sure you know it's a hard adjustment, we'll be quick, I promise." she said sweetly, and the teenager gave in with a soft sigh, giving Ed a skeptical glance, before pointing towards the back.

"It's back there, just don't get caught, I don't want to get in trouble, or have to clean up whatever type of mess you make back there." he replied, and Ed scrunched up his nose at the guy, but the girl holding onto his arm simply offered a fake smile, before pulling Ed away as quickly as possible.

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><p>"Boyfriend, huh? Isn't that a bit fast? I mean, I don't even know your name!" Ed teased as she led him into the back and pushed him into the men's single bathroom, locking the door behind her. Suddenly feeling incredibly uncomfortable with their situation, Ed took a step away from the girl, watching her wearily, and she snorted as she rolled her eyes.<p>

"Look, if you're expecting me to start stripping, you can keep dreaming. Now, take off your coat." she ordered, setting her bag down beside her and sifting through it with a furrowed eyebrow, before glancing up at Ed, only to find that he had yet to do as she had asked. Letting out a sigh, the girl stood up and walked over to him, a gentle, and genuinely concerned expression on her face.

"Look, I Know you don't remember me, and I understand that, it's been ten years, Ed! It's okay that you don't remember, it's completely normal, but please. You have to trust me, Ed." she said softly, reaching up and carefully sliding his coat off his shoulders and folding it delicately over her arm, before setting it beside her bag. She then looked back up at Ed and stood, walking up to him with her eyes trained on the wooden floor, before coming to a stop directly in front of him. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked him in the eyes while both of her hands gently took hold of his left hand.

"So, Ed...even if it is for just this once..." she said softly, glancing down at their hands for a split second, before meeting his dark golden eyes once again, forcing herself to continue despite her fear of being rejected again. She had always been used to getting whatever she wanted, so ten years ago, when he had told her 'no', she had taken it harder than she should have, and it almost felt as if she were being rejected. However, this time, it really could happen. Taking a deep breath, she continued with a small, hopeful tilt of her head. "...will you trust me?" she asked, and Ed paused.

_'Do I trust her? That's actually a really good question...'_ Ed thought as his gaze remained on the young girl, his train of thought only to be interrupted by a sharp, burning sensation on his shoulder, causing him to wince. Immediately, and without waiting for his reply, she went into action. Pushing him onto his butt, she then hurried over to the sink, turning on the cold water and letting it run as she went over to her bag. She seemed to be searching for something, so Ed simply watched as she removed a few school books, before pulling out a small roll of bandages and setting them down beside him. Curious, Ed's gaze followed her graceful movements over to where she stood at the sink, gently wringing a wet cloth out over the sink.

"Take off your shirt." she said stiffly, and instantly Ed's defenses went up and he shot her a horrified expression, and she rolled her eyes with irritation, before throwing the wet cloth at him. "Will you _grow-up_?" she snapped, sweeping up the bandages that sat on the floor before kneeling down in front of Ed with a stern expression.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ed protested, and her eyes narrowed at him, picking the wet cloth up once again and frowning as it began to drip water everywhere.

"You idiot, I'm only trying to help you!" she hissed, her tone full of hurt, while her eyes held anger. However, at Ed's skeptical look, she growled even lowered. Slowly rising to her feet as she glared down at the twenty-two-year-old, the girl gritted her teeth and held the cloth of cold water over Ed's head and wrung it dry with one twist, dropping all of the ice cold water onto the boy's head, before letting the cloth top it all off. "I regret accepting your request for company, Mr. Elric. Not only do I feel incredibly offended, but also very disappointed, because..." the girl paused in her speech as she carefully gathered her books and straightened without ever so much as another glance at Ed. "I had been hoping perhaps you had changed; apparently I was wrong."

And with that, she began towards the door, opening it slightly, before pausing to speak. "And a little piece of advice," she added, looking down briefly, before looking back up and continuing, "Read the signs before jumping to conclusions." she growled, before walking out of the bathroom, and then out of the cafe, intent on returning home as soon as possible.

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><p>Utterly confused, Ed blinked, replaying the moment over and over again in his mind, trying to make sense of her words. She had answered his question about being acquaintances at the very beginning of his search for the Philosopher's Stone, but she refused to make it easy for him, to tell him her name. Neither did she tell him <em>how<em> they knew each other, just that they did, and a long time ago at that.

Letting out a small sigh at how badly his plans had went, Ed moved to pick himself off the ground, wincing at the light burning sensation that remained in his shoulder, when he spotted the small roll of bandages left by the girl. He smirked, leaning against the nearest wall for support as he used his uninjured hand to push himself up. Straightening up, Ed approached the bandages and knelt down to pick them up, when everything clicked into place: the wet cloth, the roll of bandages, even her search for a book in physics...

_'She's a medical student!'_ Ed's jaw dropped, he suddenly knew why she reacted the way she did, and rightly so. _'She was hurt that I hadn't picked up on such obvious clues...'_ Ed groaned, slapping his forehead with his free hand for being so oblivious. If you thought about it, she really did have every right to call him an idiot, and now he had to figure out another way to make everything better... again.

Sighing, Ed un-buttoned the top few buttons, just enough for him to slide his arm out of the sleeve without much difficulty. He then wrung the cloth out a little more, before setting it on the reddened skin and, with great difficulty, wrapped the bandages she had given him around himself, hoping it was enough to keep it from hurting too much. At least... until he caught up to her again.

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><p>Normally, if it had been anyone else, she would stayed regardless, but she knew that Ed could handle himself, so she left. Not to mention, she would have eventually told him too much about their short past. Although she knew it was nothing to hide, she had always been a little hopeful that he'd be able to see her as more than the rude, bossy, ten-year-old she had been all those years ago.<p>

However, as it may seem, he didn't even recognize her as that. So, she decided to give up, because there was no point in trying to hint it to him any longer, he wouldn't figure it out on his own. Sighing, she continued down the street, taking a turn here and there every-so-often, before she found herself standing before the Hughes's residence. Since she was little, she had known the family; Maes, Gracia, and now Elysia.

She was six years old when she first met them, well, to be exact, when she had met Meas. He was an old friend of her father's, they had served together during the Ishbalan War, and had remained close friends after he resigned to start a family. She could remember working in the kitchen with her sister when he'd knocked on the door, her father out back chopping wood for the fire, and she had gone to answer it. She had expected to see Leroy, the local fisherman's son whom often brought them a few fish in exchange to stay for dinner, but instead, she found an older man standing full in military dress.

Initially, she had been put on edge and had firmly directed him away, despite his attempts to reason with her, before promptly shutting the door in his face. Only moments later, her father had walked in and asked her who it had been, when the man knocked again. She told him it was someone from the military, and had her hand on the doorknob, ready to enforce her previous threats, when her father surprised her; telling her to go into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner, while he answered the door. Of course, being skeptical as she was, she obeyed her father, but hid beside the doorway to the kitchen, and listened to the two men exchange an easy-going conversation, as if they were old friends.

Hearing this, she had simply returned to her duty of preparing dinner, and when she re-entered the dining room, she found the same man sitting across from her father at the table. Normally, when they had guests over, they would simply ignore her as she helped her sister set the food down onto the table, but tonight seemed different. As she made her way over to the table with the mashed potatoes, it surprised her to find the man looking at her with a slightly distant expression. His cool gray eyes were gentle and welcoming, and he even offered her a small smile, before she glanced over to see her father gazing at her with a similar expression.

While her sister had gone out with friends for the night, she had left her alone with the two men, and they were both watching her. Obviously confused, she had looked between the two men curiously, before she heard their guest say the _last_ thing she would have ever expected.

"She looks just like her mother, Mason. It's amazing, you've been blessed." Her eyes grew, and her mouth opened slightly as a look of surprise covered her face, before she glanced at her father for some sort of assistance, but he merely chuckled, and nodded in agreement to the man, before introducing him.

It was that night that she'd learned more about Maes Hughes than she would have ever expected, about his job, his wife, but it wasn't the only thing she remembered. She also remembered when he'd left, kneeling down in front of her with a silly grin after telling her father something about having to keep the young men away in no time. He'd reached out and patted her on the head, an action some of the older village boys had done before, but this seemed different, he did it in the way her father would usually pat her head, it was... reassuring. He'd told her that the next time he saw her, he'd bring a picture of his family, just for her. He had then left, and later that night, her father told her how this wasn't the first time she'd met the man. Apparently, he'd been there when she was born, and a couple times more over the years, but she had been too young to remember it.

To her surprise, the man _did_ visit again, and several other times on his way back to Central over the years. And each time, he would tell her a new story, play with her, and as she got older, he'd even help her with her homework from time to time. To say the least, she had gradually begun to grow attached to him, she'd even started calling him 'Uncle Maes', but he said nothing about it and would simply laugh. It wasn't until she was about ten, that his visits grew further and further apart, starting a few months before she'd met Ed and Al.

He left much later than he usually did that night, and she was curious. They thought she was asleep, when she heard him talking to her father about something strange stirring in the military's higher-ups. He hadn't told him what it was; he said he didn't want to put either of them in any danger if it got worse. She had never heard him sound so serious before, and it had her worried that she shouldn't have been listening. So, she had moved away from the stairs, accidentally stepping on one of the squeaking panels of wood and catching her breath as she ducked out of sight. Moments later, she had peaked out again to see his glance flicker to her, before refocusing on her father; he'd saved her from getting in trouble, and they both knew it. She hadn't seen him leave, but the darkened expression he wore throughout his talk with her father remained in her mind.

And then, Ed and Al came a few months later, and she saw the same expression in Ed's eyes when he had told her about his dream to become a State Alchemist and then find the Philosopher's Stone in order to restore his brother's body. It was a dark look of determination, mixed with something so much deeper that it couldn't be explained. It had been then that she realized that there was more to the world than her little village where only Majahal seemed to be the darkest presence; and the realization left her with a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Strangely enough, she'd soon found herself looking forward to more of Maes's visits, eager to hear about his wife, Gracia, and his co-workers: the Second Lieutenant known for his uncanny intelligence with the irrational fear of dogs, a Major who had a knack for machines and technology. There was also a Second Lieutenant who had a smoking but was one of the best marksmen aside from the young sniper during the war who was now a First Lieutenant, and finally the Colonel, who had also happened to be a State Alchemist, the _Flame Alchemist_.

However, although each subordinate sounded interesting, the moment he'd mentioned the youngest of them all, during his last visit when she was fourteen, a sixteen-year-old State Alchemist by the name of Edward Elric, he immediately had her attention. She hadn't seen or heard about Ed in a long time, she wasn't sure if he'd managed to achieve his goal of becoming a State Alchemist, or even the dream of resorting his younger brother's body that followed.

The news had brought a rare, genuine smile to her face that surprised both of the men at the table, but neither of them pointed it out as she cleaned up after the meal, and later brought them coffee. Later that night, he'd invited her to come back to Central with him and stay with him and his family; this time, he wanted her to meet his daughter, Elysia. Hesitant at first, her father had encouraged her to go, and to this day, she never regretted it. Gracia had accepted her with open arms, like she always did whenever she came to visit. The woman had grown to be like the mother she never really knew, and she treated her like she was her very own daughter, and Elysia was convinced she was her older sister.

She was glad for the opportunity to stay and live in Central, even it was only for a month, it was the longest she could remember staying with the happy family. The experience opened her eyes to a part of the world that her quaint little village on the outskirts of the thriving city didn't provide. The day she'd left to return home, she had made her decision. After hearing about all of the Elric Brothers' travels and adventures to bring them closer to their dream, she found herself her own little glimmer of hope, and from there she urged herself towards something her sister had been pursuing before she died. She was going become a doctor.

However, when she returned home, she was welcomed by an empty home, and horrible news. Her father was dead. He'd been at the river, helping the younger men of the village barricade the sides so it wouldn't flood the village, when the section he and two others were working on broke and they were swept under. Except, while the others were soon washed ashore, the undertow had dragged him to the river bed, where he'd hit his head, lost consciousness, and drowned before anyone could rescue him.

For an entire year, she was forced to live on her own, offering empty smiles to the village children and housewives as they delivered her meals every-so-often. She wasn't sure how, but she'd somehow managed to push herself through school, and proceed in her studies, earning her a scholarship to one of the most expensive schools in Central city. However, much to her own dismay, when she arrived it Central later that year, she was informed that the man who'd known her since she was little, was dead, and that his family was still mourning.

And so, she ended up declining the offer to live in Central, unable to watch the mother and daughter of a man she could almost consider her second father suffer, and instead moved back to her some village home on the outskirts of the city and had a tutor visit her throughout the week for her tuition. It was hard, staying in a place that was far too big for one person, all alone, and distanced from her friends who'd all been able to move on to pursue their own dreams.

It wasn't until a month ago that she'd been sent a letter. It was from Gracia. She was asking her to come to Central and live with them, upset that she hadn't told them of her father's passing. She accepted, and she was welcomed just as she had before, and that hole of lonesomeness in her heart was gradually being filled again, but this time it was by the laughter of a bubbly, energetic ten-year-old and her loving mother.

However, as much as she hated to admit it, she knew that her heart would never be filled completely, it was still waiting... for a certain _State Alchemist_ to fill it...

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><p><strong>Alright, so, I've come to notice something, looking back through the chapters of this story, and seems, IRONICLY, I have ended the past two chapters with the phrase 'Damn it' in some sense. It was not intentional, but slightly amusing. But anyways, this was starting to get long, and a little confusing, so i had to re-read it NUMEROUS times, before posting it. I hope everyone likes it, this story needed a longer chapter, and don't worry, Ed will eventually figure it out. I know it seems like he's a bit... dull, but hey, he's practically a genius, and even geniuses (ei. Roy, Ed, Ryoma Echizen - from another mangaanime), are oblivious to very OBVIOUS things, so in other words, they can be dense. And no one can say that it isn't noticeable in the anime, because it's pretty obvious at times!**

**But I'm getting ahead of myself. Most of you already know who it is, and for those of you that don't, keep guessing, I suppose. You'll find out in chapter... I think five or six. There will also be the appearances of both Winry and (believe it or not) Russell Trigham! I might have Fletcher come along, for Al's sake, but I haven't thought of anything yet.**

**Anyways, tell me how I'm doing with the story, all feedback is excepted, even flames because everyone has a right to their own opinions. I hope everyone keeps reading! Enjoy!**

**~Smash41KMF**


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